In Time
by sierragust
Summary: When searching for the perfect gift for his beloved, Seda hears that Sophia is getting married to someone she doesn't even know. What can he do to prevent this? (Post-game)
1. Chapter 1

**A.N: This is a romantic Sephia one-shot that's been in my head ever since I beaten the first game. I hope you guys like it! Also, I'm sorry about the long wait. I've been playing _Dissidia 012: Final Fantasy_ on and off lately, so I'm back.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Dark Cloud or any of its characters. They belong to Akhiro Hino.**

 **X~X~X**

Morning crept around the Eastern Kingdom as the entire castle was covered in a thick blanket of snow along with the city, forcing everyone to stay indoors for the holidays despite the children running around and hurling snowballs at each other.

Seda trudged through the snowy town, thinking of what to get for his beloved Sophia before he heard a familiar female voice. The young king was wearing his usual red coat with black riding gloves and his black boots, and he had a scarlet and gold scarf wrapped around his neck despite leaving his gold headband off.

"Seda!" Madeline's voice echoed as Seda looked to find her running up to him. "How are you doing, Your Majesty?"

"I'm fine. And please drop the formalities." Seda said as he looked at the shop, which was closed for the holidays. "How are you?"

"We're fine." Madeline said, noticing Seda's red face due to the cold. "Come in. You must be freezing out here."

As the two made their way to the western house, Seda carefully examined the interior of the house as Madeline took her scarf off.

"I'm home, Robert." She said as she entered the living room, Seda having already making himself at home as he heard the footsteps of her husband enter the room.

"Welcome home, honey. Long day?" Robert asked before taking a look at their guest, who was drinking a hot cup of tea. "Oh Seda! What a pleasant surprise."

Smiling, Seda got up and walked over to the married man, putting his hand on his. "A pleasure to meet you too, Robert."

"What brings you here, Your Majesty?" Robert asked, falling down on one knee in front of the young king.

"I need to get something for my beloved." Seda said, taking his scarf off and setting it in his lap.

"Is it a ring?" Madeline asked, looking at Seda smugly.

"Yes..." Seda said, blushing as red as his coat before he heard his horse kicking the door frantically. "Guess I better get back to the castle."

As he made his way back to Sakura and climbed onto her back, Seda was stopped by Madeline running up to him again, holding a small box already wrapped.

"Here. Give this to her, alright?" Madeline asked before handing the box to him. "Get her alone, alright?"

Nodding, Seda kicked Sakura's flanks and rode off while holding the gift to his beloved.

As he made his way back to the castle, Seda dismounted Sakura and brushed her mane before taking the saddle off.

"Good job, girl." Seda said as Sakura began licking his face before he locked the chestnut mare in her stable after giving her a fresh and peeled carrot.

Quickly putting the gift in his pocket, the young platinum-haired king made his way to his throne room and was surprised that Sophia was already in the room.

"You're here early, Sophia." Seda said, causing Sophia to jump in surprise before he sat down across from her.

Sophia jumped at the sound of his voice before pressing her frozen fingers against her hot mug.

"You scared me." She said, dipping her almost-dissolved candy cane into her cup of tea. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine." Seda said as he took his cup and poured himself a cup of tea that smelled like raspberries. "This smells wonderful."

The two began to drink their tea in silence before Sophia broke the silence by breaking her candy cane into smaller pieces and sucking on them.

"What have you been up to?" Seda asked, looking at Sophia as he put a pinch of sugar in his tea.

"Nothing much. Just getting everything ready." Sophia said before she broke down crying.

"Ready?" Seda asked, confused. "For what?"

Tears dripped from her eyes as Sophia ran up to Seda and embraced him, crying into his shoulder. "I've been forced to marry someone I don't even know. My father has forbidden me to even stay away from you."

Seda felt like the dagger that the assassin held the night before was plunged deep into his heart. His beloved was being forced into marriage by someone she didn't even know?

"I'm scared..." Sophia said, breaking his train of thought.

"Of what, So?" Seda asked, looking at her.

"Of what comes... after the wedding." Sophia said, looking into his eyes. "I might lose my virginity to this guy."

"Don't worry about it." Seda said, kissing her forehead. "I'll be there to stop this madness. I lost you once, and I'm not going to lose you again."

"Thank you." Sophia said, kissing him before she ran out of the castle and into a carriage.

Seda popped a piece of candy cane into his mouth and sucked on it as he went to the balcony, only to find a wall of built-up fresh snow in front of it.

"Just my luck!" Seda cursed under his breath as he drew out his sword and started hacking the wall, only to find himself buried under it as the snow filled the room. "Damn it!"

After effortlessly digging himself out of the large mound of snow, he sat near the fireplace, gently rubbing his now-frostbitten hands in an attempt to warm them up again as he fastened his scarlet scarf around his neck, pulled his gloves on, and rode off.

 **X~X~X**

Sophia heaved an exasperated sigh as she tried on many of the dresses that her mother had bought for her, but almost none of them seemed to fit.

"Sophia, honey. Don't be a sour lemon." Her mother, Queen Julia, said as she straightened her daughter's gown.

"I'm not a sour lemon, mother." Sophia said as she sighed disapprovingly before removing the veil from her head. "I just don't know if I'm ready to go through with this."

"Sweetheart, I know you're scared. I was too when I ended up marrying your father." Julia said as she put the finishing touches on the dress before she stood back. "Trust me, you'll be a beautiful wife to Leonardo."

Sophia sucked in her cheeks as her mother left the room before she threw the veil on her bed in anger and distraught.

"I don't want to go through with this." Sophia said before breaking down. "I just wished that Seda would take me away and..."

"And what?" Seda's voice came from outside the room.

Sophia's head snapped up and looked at the door leading to the balcony, where she saw Seda standing there with a beautiful smile on his lips despite his face being flushed red and the cold water dripping from his hair.

"Seda, what are you doing here?" Sophia asked, looking at Seda angrily before he pulled her closer to him and kissed her lovingly on the lips before he broke the kiss.

"I couldn't help but overhear you and your mother fighting." Seda said as he looked at her room.

"I'm sorry about that." She said before they heard a knock on the door.

"Honey, Leonardo is here." Her father said before Sophia opened the door as Seda hid under her bed.

 _Leonardo? So that's the guy that's taken my beloved's hand._ Seda thought as he remained under the bed before he pushed the sheets back to get a glimpse of what Leonardo looked like.

Leonardo was a tall young man with short blond hair pulled back into a ponytail. He had blue eyes and was wearing a black suit with a matching tie. The young royal clenched his fists as he watched the man bring Sophia's hand up to his lips and kissed it before he left.

"I'll see you soon, my dear." Leonardo said as he left.

After he left the castle, Sophia heaved a pleasured sigh as Seda got up from under her bed.

"I don't like him. Are you sure you're not going to marry that guy?" He asked, looking at Sophia.

"No. I don't love him." Sophia said as she looked at him. "I want to be with you."

Seda's eyes widened at this. She loves him?

"Sophia, are you saying that you love... me?" He asked, looking into Sophia's eyes.

Sophia nodded before she felt his lips gently being pressed against hers in a deep kiss before he broke the kiss.

"Does that answer your question?" Seda asked, looking at her.

Sophia immediately blushed and looked at him.

"Can I get changed out of my dress?" Sophia asked, looking at him.

"Sure." Seda said as he looked away from her as she took her dress off and put her orange one on.

"Let's go, then." She said before they rode off to the castle, where they would spend the rest of their lives together.

 **X~X~X**

Sophia moaned as the afternoon sunlight streamed in through the window and looked at the sleeping form beside her, realizing that they were completely naked except for the fact that she was in her tanktop and panties. Her body was covered in bruises and bites from the previous night as she rose up from the bed and went to the bathroom with a robe wrapped around her.

As she entered the bathroom and drew herself a hot bath, Sophia closed the door and undressed herself, moaning in contentment as her legs made contact with the hot water before she slowly lowered herself and relaxed.

"Ooohhh yes. This is what I needed." She moaned in relaxation as she sunk further into the scalding water until her head was submerged into the steaming liquid around her.

 _'Seda was so gentle last night...'_ Sophia thought, blushing furiously as she ran her fingers through her hair to undo the knots before she got out of the lukewarm water and got out of the bathroom after she tied her hair in a ponytail.

After she got dressed, Sophia walked into the kitchen and found the chef making breakfast for the two.

"Morning, Sophia!" One of the maids said as she handed over a tray filled with two hot blueberry muffins on them along with two glasses of orange juice. "Could you give this to the king?"

"Sure thing." Sophia said as she took the tray and headed towards the room.

After she effortlessly pulled the door open, Sophia's eyes widened as she saw that Seda was gone without a trace, his coat and pants were now neatly folded and were on top of the bed but then noticed that his black vest and blue pants were gone.

Setting the tray down on the table, Sophia patiently waited for her beloved to return before she took a bite out of her muffin.

 **X~X~X**

Sweat started rolling down Seda's forehead as he gripped his sword and struck Jeremiah, successfully knocking the sword out of his hands before he fell to the ground.

"That was a great spar, my Lord." Jeremiah said as Seda pulled him up and clasped arms with him.

"You too." Seda said as he heard his stomach groan before hearing Jeremiah chuckle.

"You should get something to eat, my Lord." Jeremiah said as he watched Seda leave.

As he entered his room, Seda was surprised to see Sophia in his room, enjoying her breakfast as she sensed his presence.

"You're up early." Seda said as he sat down across from her and sliced his muffin in halves before he bit into the first half.

"I guess I am." Sophia said before she took a sip of her orange juice.

An awkward silence crept between them as Seda broke the silence.

"Are you still going to be going through with this?" He asked, looking at Sophia's crystal-blue eyes.

"Not right now." Sophia said before she stood up and started to leave. "I'd better get going before my parents find out that I'm gone."

"I see..." Seda said as he also stood up. "I'll see you later, then."

As she left the castle, Seda looked up at the beautiful blue sky. "Time to pay Leonardo a visit."


	2. Chapter 2

It was almost mid-afternoon when Seda dismounted Sakura and walked into the Southwestern border, where he saw a few people dressed in black lowering a lifeless, bloody and presumably-naked body, even though he couldn't see the lifeless body since it was inside a well-built casket, into the ground before the man shoveled dirt onto the grave and covered the wooden casket completely. As he approached, Seda saw a bucket of water that was bloody, meaning that there were clothes soaking in the water.

"What's going on here?" Seda asked, looking at the mourning people as he approached.

"Our Leonardo has been murdered last night..." A man said, embracing his now-crying wife as she cried onto his shoulder.

"Murdered?" Seda repeated. "By who?"

The woman left her husband and walked up to Seda, holding something small in her hand.

"His assassin was holding this when he murdered our son..." She said before she handed Seda a wrapped-up bundle.

Taking it and unwrapping it, Seda's eyes widened as he saw the familiar golden dagger that the assassin from his own country wielded two nights ago. Clenching his teeth, he looked at the two with anger and determination.

"Which way did he go?!" Seda asked, looking at the mourning couple.

The two didn't answer, but simply pointed to the northeast. Almost immediately, Seda quickly mounted Sakura and rode off.

Upon arriving, he saw a few people dressed in their usual clothing as he dismounted and raced to a nearby church, ignoring a beautiful white horse-drawn carriage on the way despite the snow that continued to fall from the clouds above.

As he arrived at the church, he saw something that wasn't even there before, but as he neared, Seda's eyes grew dark as he realized what it was. An iron gate, attended by two armored guards. The guards noticed him as he drew close, but said nothing. Just before he neared ten paces from the gate, the guards crossed their spears.

"No admittance," The guard on the left said. "Begone."

"I need to see Sophia." Seda said, looking at both of them. "Can I see her?"

The soldier on the right chuckled. "Do you not hear, boy? Only members of the royal family can enter. Now get lost."

Seda massaged the bridge of his nose in irritation.

"I hate to do this..." Seda said as he knocked both of the guards out and shoved the doors open, earning a few surprised looks from the guests as he screamed. "I OBJECT!"

At this, Leonardo stopped and turned to him. "What's going on here?"

"Get away from Sophia, you murderer!" Seda said, resting his hand on the hilt of his sword and glaring at the man that was standing in front of the altar of the church as the priest backed away.

Suddenly, the dagger that was inside the saddlebag flew out and reached its owner, cutting the young king's face slightly as Seda wiped the blood off and glared at the man that was now holding the dagger.

"I must say, you were very foolish to kill my father on that night." He said, smirking as he revealed his true form after he froze everyone. "I was upset that I found that bleeding wound in his chest, but I was angered at the fact that you were the one that threw him out."

As a huge wave of dark energy slammed the doors and locked them, Seda glared at the man standing in front of the altar.

"It's funny seeing how my father wasn't able to kill you, but I would gladly finish what he started!" Navarre said as he ran towards Seda, quickly stabbing him with the dagger…

…Or so he thought.

Confused, the assassin looked right into Seda's eyes and was shocked to see that they were red with cat-like slits in them. He was holding the hand that was holding the dagger in a deathlike grip as a wicked smirk formed on his lips, the sharp point of the dagger just near his abdomen. Before Navarre got a chance to react, Seda stabbed his sword up and through the assassin, throwing him through the stained glass window and into the ocean below.

As the dark energy faded from his body completely, Seda quickly turned and saw everyone surveying the damage until his heart skipped a beat when he saw Sophia standing there, in front of the door, wearing her usual orange dress as tears ran down her cheeks.

"You saved me, Seda!" She said, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I thought that..."

"I was going to get killed?" Seda asked, finishing her sentence as she nodded. "Not at all, my love."

"Well..." Leon, Sophia's father and the king of her country, said as he looked at his daughter. "You passed, Seda."

"What do you mean?" Seda asked, looking up at his girlfriend's father.

"Since you saved my daughter, you can stay with her however long you like." He said, smiling.

Seda smiled warmly at him. "Thanks, Your Majesty."

X~X~X

As Christmas came closer and closer, everyone was getting ready for the festivities and started decorating a huge tree that sat in the foyer of the castle while placing presents underneath it.

Seda was in his room, looking at the snow-covered city as Sophia came into the room while holding a plate of freshly-baked cookies. She was wearing a beautiful red dress with white wool stitched on the edges and a gold necklace with a ruby embedded in the center. A pair of sapphire earrings dangled from her ears.

Carefully setting the plate down as well as a mug of hot chocolate, she looked at him and smiled as she took a small sip of her drink.

"We're going to have a beautiful Christmas." Sophia said, smiling as she placed her warm hand over his. "Why don't you come inside? It's getting cold out here."

"Alright." Seda said, shutting the doors leading out to the balcony as he sat down across from her.

As she sat down, Sophia noticed a wrapped box that was standing next to his bed and looked at it.

"What's this?" She asked, looking at it before shaking it.

"It's for you, but please don't open it." Seda said, looking at her as he took a bite out of a cookie that was still warm. He wasn't too fond of sweets.

"Okay, I won't." Sophia said, giggling as she heard banging outside the door. "I guess I'd better get going."

"Okay." Seda said, watching as she left without even stopping to notice a piece of mistletoe hanging above the doorframe before he stopped her. "Wait, Sophia."

"Yes?" She asked, turning towards him and stopping as she saw his red face. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. It's just that..." Seda said, his face turning redder than his coat. "You forgot something."

"What is it?" She asked as he walked up to her.

Before she could understand, Seda took her hand and looked into her eyes before he leaned in and kissed her on the lips. Her cheeks were flushed as she returned the kiss, her eyes slowly drifting close as they broke apart at last.

"What was that for?" She asked, feeling her face turn bright red before she saw the mistletoe hanging above them.

"Here." Seda said, handing her the wrapped box that he had next to his bed. "Don't open it until you get home and when you're alone."

"Alright." She said, taking the small gift and turning away from him.

X~X~X

When she got home, Sophia immediately took her cloak off and hung it up as she entered the kitchen, where she saw her parents sitting at the dining table.

"How are you, honey?" Julia asked, looking at her daughter as she placed a salad bowl on the table.

"Great." Sophia said, her nose running as she smelled the scent of tomatoes in her bowl after she helped herself to the spinach salad. "Just got my gift from Seda."

"Really?" Leon asked, surprised. "Where is it?"

"In my room." She said, blowing the steam off before putting the tomato soup in her mouth. "He wants me to open it alone."

"Alright." He said as they continued eating.

After she ate and bid her parents good-night, Sophia entered her room and saw the gift that Seda gave her, picking it up.

"I wonder what he got me..." She wondered before tearing the paper and opening the box, only to find a small, velvet, violet box inside.

Her heart was pounding rapidly inside her chest as she swallowed, picked up the small box and opened it…

…and almost died from what that she was seeing.

It was a beautiful sapphire ring, the gem almost matching the color of her eyes as she carefully took the ring out and looked at it before a familiar voice broke the silence.

"You like it?"

Sophia snapped out of her trance and turned to find Seda leaning against the balcony, smiling.

"Seda!" She cried as she ran towards him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "It's beautiful! Thank you!"

"You're welcome." He said, smiling as he ran his fingers through her hair. "I have another question for you."

"If it's a proposal, then yes!" She said, kissing him on the lips.

When the kiss broke, he looked at her and noticed the tears running down her face as he smiled.

"We have a lot to plan for this day." He whispered into her ear, feeling her nod into his coat.

X~X~X

The day of the wedding was on a beautiful Christmas morning as everyone in the city headed to a church that was built next to the castle, eager to see the royal couple when they emerged from the doors.

In one of the rooms, Sophia was wearing a beautiful white dress that was zipped up in the back and was strapless. She also wore white gloves and shoes as Julia gave her a beautiful woven bouquet of red and white roses. Her hair was in a tight ponytail, framing the sides of her beautiful face.

"Don't be scared, sweetheart." She said, smiling at her daughter.

Nodding and taking a deep breath, Sophia took her father's hand and walked out into the church, taking her beloved's hand when she reached the altar.

After they had said their eternal vows, Sophia smiled as she wrapped her arms around her lover's neck and shared her first kiss with him to confirm their love for each other before he picked her up and carried her out to the horse-drawn carriage waiting for them.

Everything turned out well in the end.

X~X~X

 **A/N: That's the end! I'm sorry for letting this story SIT THERE, but thankfully its over. I've had a horrible writer's block last month, and I'm thankful it's gone now. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this story as much as I had making it.**


End file.
